| 2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conference championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 3, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Allegiant Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Paradise, NV | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | LBDevin Lloyd, Utah | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Utah by 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Steven Strimling[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 56,511 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC,ESPN Radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ABC:Chris Fowler (play-by-play),Kirk Herbstreit (color),Holly Rowe (sideline) ESPN Radio:Jorge Sedano,Max Starks | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Matheus Pinheiro (play-by-play), Weinny Eirado (analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22Oregon xy | 7 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 6 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 5 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 2 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12Utah xy$ | 8 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 6 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State† | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 1 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship:Utah 38, Oregon 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2021 Pac-12 Football Championship Game was acollege football game played on December 3, 2021, atAllegiant Stadium inParadise, Nevada. It was the 11th edition of thePac-12 Football Championship Game, and determined the champion of thePac-12 Conference for the2021 season. The game began at 5:00 p.m.PST and aired onABC. The contest featured theOregon Ducks, the North Division champions, and theUtah Utes, the South Division champions. Sponsored by gas station chain76, the game was officially known as thePac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76.[2] Utah defeated Oregon, 38–10, to win the Pac-12 Championship.
The 2021 Pac–12 Football Championship Game featured theOregon Ducks, champions of the North Division, against theUtah Utes, champions of the South Division. This was the teams' 35th all-time meeting;[3] they first met in1933 and have played annually asPac-12 foes since2013.[4] Oregon enters the game leading the series 23–11.[4][5] This is a rematch of a conference game that happened 2 weeks earlier; in which Utah won 38-7.
This was Oregon's fifth appearance in the title game; entering the game, they lead all teams by number of appearances and were the first team to ever appear in three consecutive championship games.[6] They were 4–0 in previous games, with wins in2011,2014,2019, and2020.[7] Utah made their third appearance; they were 0–2 following losses in2018 and 2019.[8]
Led by fourth-year head coachMario Cristobal, Oregon opened their season ranked No. 11 in theAP Poll, and they defeatedFresno State in their first game by a touchdown.[9] The Ducks then travelled toColumbus for their second game to face the No. 3Ohio State Buckeyes, whom they defeated by a touchdown as well, vaulting them into the top four.[10] Oregon rounded out their non-conference schedule with a dominant win over FCSStony Brook before opening Pac-12 play with another dominant win overArizona.[11][12] Oregon's first loss came the following week on the road againstStanford in overtime,[13] which led them into abye week. The Ducks returned to play on Friday night againstCalifornia and the following week againstUCLA, both of which resulted in slim, one-possession Oregon victories.[14][15] Oregon returned to the No. 4 spot in the AP Poll following their next win, againstColorado,[16] before beatingWashington on the road to reach No. 3.[17] The Ducks then defeatedWashington State before facing No. 23 Utah, their second ranked opponent of the year.[18] Utah dominated the game, defeating Oregon 38–7.[19] The Ducks, now No. 11, finished the regular season with a home win against rivalsOregon State by nine points;[20] this victory clinched the North Division title for Oregon and booked their spot in the championship game.[21]
The Utah Utes, led by head coachKyle Whittingham in his 17th season, opened their season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll, and defeatedWeber State – ranked No. 6 in theFCS STATS Poll – to begin the year.[22] Notably, the Utes' season-opener produced a crowd of over 51,000, a new record forRice-Eccles Stadium.[23] A pair of road losses followed, however, as the Utes were "stunned" byBYU in a six-point loss[24] and fell toSan Diego State by two points in tripleovertime.[25][26] Utah returned to winning ways shortly thereafter, defeatingWashington State on homecoming[27] and, following a bye week, taking downUSC – snapping a 106-year winless streak in the city ofLos Angeles[28] – and No. 18Arizona State, each by two possessions, to re-establish a winning record.[29] Utah would falter in their next game, a road contest againstOregon State,[30] but finished the month of October with a victory overUCLA at home.[31] To begin November, Utah soundly defeated Stanford and beat Arizona by two possessions, both on the road, before returning home to face No. 3 Oregon.[32][33] The Utes pulled an upset, by 31 points,[19] and clinched the South Division title with the win, solidifying their place in their third championship game in the last four seasons.[34]
Scheduled for a 5:00 p.m.PST start, Oregon kicker Camden Lewis put the ball into play to begin the game at 5:15 p.m. The opening kickoff was returned by Britain Covey to the Utah 39-yard-line. Utah was held to a 4th & 1 a few plays into the drive, but converted to continue the possession. Several plays later,Cameron Rising found Covey for a 22-yard pass to enter thered zone, and Tavion Thomas scored on a two-yard rush three plays later. Oregon's, on their opening drive of the contest, was unable to reach midfield, and they punted at their own 44-yard-line. Utah's next drive ended similarly; after aholding penalty set the Utes back ten yards on their first play, the drive stalled, and the Utes punted the ball back to Oregon. Beginning their possession on their own 15-yard-line, Oregon quarterbackAnthony Brown gained a first down on the drive's first play, but would throw aninterception just three plays later, which would be returned for a touchdown by Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, increasing Utah's lead to 14–0. Getting the ball right back, Oregon was again unable to be productive on offense. Apass interference penalty on 3rd & 5 forced a 4th & 24 the next play, and Tom Snee punted the ball away for the Ducks for the third time. The Ducks' defense stepped up soon afterwards, though; on Utah's ensuing drive, Cameron Rising's pass was intercepted by linebackerNoah Sewell, giving Oregon the ball at their own 46-yard-line.[35]
The first play of Oregon's ensuing drive saw them reach Utah territory for the first time in the game; they made it to the Utah 26-yard-line but were unable to capitalize as Camden Lewis missed a 44-yard field goal and gave Utah the ball back. The Utes were able to string together a long drive of their own, gaining 44 yards in 11 plays, but it ended with another interception, this one by Verone McKinley III at the Oregon 20-yard-line. The Ducks couldn't capitalize, as they wentthree-and-out on their next drive and punted it back to the Utes. Utah got the ball at their own 26-yard-line as a result; their next drive spanned 74 yards in 12 plays, and finished with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Rising toDalton Kincaid. This increased the Utes' lead to 20 points, as the two-point conversion pass was unsuccessful. Getting the ball back with 27 seconds before halftime, Oregon opted to run plays rather thankneeling the ball in an attempt to score, though this strategy backfired as Anthony Brown threw a pass which was intercepted by Malone Mataele on the Oregon 37-yard-line with eight seconds to play. Utah was able to gain five yards before attempting a 50-yard field goal, which was successful. Utah entered halftime with a 23–0 lead.[35]
Oregon received the ball to start the second half as Jordan Noyes' kickoff resulted in atouchback. This drive saw Brown and Dye gain a majority of Oregon's yards and saw the Ducks score their first points of the contest with a 42-yard field goal made by Camden Lewis. The teams then traded punts on each of their next drives, as Utah wentthree-and-out after gaining seven yards on their three plays, while Oregon fumbled for a loss of thirteen yards and went three-and-out after finishing the drive with a net loss of nine total yards. Taking possession at the Oregon 45-yard-line, Utah was quick to capitalize on the excellent field position. After an incomplete pass to start the series, Rising rushed for 41 yards, advancing the ball to the Oregon 4-yard-line, and T.J. Pledger scored on a rushing touchdown the next play. Oregon found themselves unable to respond with another score of their own, as they couldn't convert a 4th & 4 at the Utah 38-yard-line and turned the ball over on downs. On the final four plays of the quarter, Utah reached Oregon territory before the clock expired, and began the fourth quarter with a 2nd & 2 at the Oregon 33-yard-line.[35]
Eight Utah plays followed before the Utes found the end zone for the final time in the game; a 3-yard rush byTavion Thomas put the Utes up 38–3 with ten minutes to play. The ensuing kickoff sawSeven McGee return the ball to the Oregon 45-yard-line, but a holding penalty brought the ball all the way back to the Oregon 10-yard-line. The Ducks put up a 12-play drive spanning just over five minutes while converting two third downs en route to their first, and only, touchdown of the game by way of a 2-yard Travis Dye rush. Oregon'sonside kick was unsuccessful, and Utah recovered the ball at the Oregon 37-yard-line. The Utes were able to run the final five minutes off the clock and secure a 38–10 win and the Pac-12 Championship.[35]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Oregon | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 17 Utah | 14 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 38 |
atAllegiant Stadium •Paradise, Nevada
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistic | Oregon | Utah |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| First downs rushing | 7 | 11 |
| First downs passing | 5 | 7 |
| First downs penalty | 2 | 3 |
| Third down efficiency | 4–12 | 6–13 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0–1 | 3–3 |
| Total plays–net yards | 53–221 | 64–361 |
| Rushing attempts–net yards | 29–74 | 40–191 |
| Yards per rush | 2.6 | 4.8 |
| Yards passing | 147 | 170 |
| Pass completions–attempts | 13–24 | 15–24 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 2 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1–3 | 3–12 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 5–83 | 2–49 |
| Punts–total yardage | 4–178 | 2–107 |
| Fumbles–lost | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 9–86 | 10–89 |
| Time of possession | 27:56 | 32:04 |
| Ducks passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C–A | Yds | TD | INT | ||
| Anthony Brown | 13–24 | 147 | 0 | 2 | |
| Ducks rushing | |||||
| Car | Yds | TD | Avg | ||
| Travis Dye | 15 | 82 | 1 | 5.5 | |
| Seven McGee | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4.0 | |
| Byron Cardwell | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | |
| Anthony Brown | 10 | −5 | 0 | −0.5 | |
| TEAM | 1 | −13 | |||
| Ducks receiving | |||||
| Rec | Yds | TD | Avg | ||
| Isaah Crocker | 3 | 51 | 0 | 17.0 | |
| Travis Dye | 4 | 27 | 0 | 6.8 | |
| Seven McGee | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19.0 | |
| Devon Williams | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17.0 | |
| Troy Franklin | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16.0 | |
| Kris Hutson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | |
| Byron Caldwell | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | |
| Terrance Ferguson | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5.0 | |
| Utes passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C–A | Yds | TD | INT | ||
| Cameron Rising | 15–24 | 170 | 1 | 2 | |
| Utes rushing | |||||
| Car | Yds | TD | Avg | ||
| Tavion Thomas | 18 | 63 | 2 | 3.5 | |
| Cameron Rising | 9 | 61 | 0 | 6.8 | |
| Micah Bernard | 6 | 38 | 0 | 6.3 | |
| T.J. Pledger | 5 | 20 | 1 | 4.0 | |
| Chris Curry | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4.5 | |
| Utes receiving | |||||
| Rec | Yds | TD | Avg | ||
| Britain Covey | 5 | 72 | 0 | 14.4 | |
| Dalton Kincaid | 4 | 61 | 1 | 15.3 | |
| Solomon Enis | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13.0 | |
| Brant Kuithe | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12.0 | |
| Devaughn Vele | 2 | 10 | 0 | 5.0 | |
| Theo Howard | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6.0 | |
| Tavion Thomas | 1 | −4 | 0 | −4.0 | |